Foot-warmer for car-platforms



L. LOESER. FOOT WARMER FOR CAR PLATFORMS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 5, 1920.

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LEO LOESER, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

r00r-weiurrnru ron CART-PLATFORMS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 29, 1921.

Application filed April 5, 1920. Serial No. 371,388.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, Leo Lonsnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of h ew York, have invented new and useful Improvements in F oot-lV armers for CarPlatforms, of which the following is a specification.

In recent years, improvements have been introduced in street cars, looking to the greater comfort of motormen and the safety of the public, as well as the minimizing of claims against railway comanies for personal injuries due to accidents. Although motormen are protected from the elements by vestibules, they still suffer from cold feet, especially in severe winter weather, distracting their minds, impairing their efficiency and increasing the liability to accidents. To lessen their discomfort, they sometimes place mats or newspapers under their feet, but such expedients are unsatisfactory and at best but partially remedy the evil.

The object of my invention is to provide such cars with effective means for warming the motormens feet, in order that their working conditions, even in severely cold weather, maybe comfortable and conducive to their highest eficiency, and the greatest safety of the public.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a horizontal section of a street car vestibule equipped with the improvement. Fig. 2 is an enlarged transverse section on line 2 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal section on line 3-3, F ig. 1. Fig. l is a horizontal section on line 44, Fig. 2.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

10 indicates a street-car vestibule of any suitable construction; 11 the usual electric controller arranged in the front part of the vestibule, and 12 the controlling lever or handle of the air brake located beside the controller, as usual.

Located in the floor or platform 10 of the vestibule where the motorman stands is a foot-warmer or heater of any appropriate construction and of the proper dimensions to warm his feet while driving thecar. In the construction shown, this foot-warmer comprises a box or casing 13 fitted in an opening of the car platform or vestibule floor, and having a register or perforated top-plate 14 through which the heat rises and which is preferably flush with the floor of the vestibule, as shown. In the lower portion of this casing is located a suitable heating heating coils 1e, and between these coils and the register plate is interposed a horizontal series of pivoted shutters or leaves 15 for regulating the passage of the heat through the register plate or entirely shutting it off, if desired. These shutters may be of any ordinary construction, those shown in the drawings being mounted on parallel horizontal shafts 16 journaled in opposite walls of the casing and provided outside thereof with crank shafts 17 connected by a universal link 18. This link is pivotally conneoted at its front end to an arm 19 secured to the lower end of an upright rock shaft 20 extending upwardly through the car platform and provided at its upper end with a hand lever 20 for turning it to actuate the shutters 15, in an obvious manner.

Current is supplied to the foot-warmer 14 from any suitable source. In practice, it may be connected with the customary heating circuit of the car, and it is preferably under the direct control of the motor man by a suitable switch. In the preferred arrangement shown in the drawings, this switch comprises a horizontal segment 21 suspended from the underside of the car and comprising a metallic section 22 and a nonconductive section 28. Cooperating with this segment is a switch member or brush 24 carried by an arm 25 secured to the same hub which carries the shutter-operating arm 19. The relative arrangement of these switch members and the operating devices of the shutters is such that upon turning the shaft 20 to open the shutters, the brush 24; makes contact with the metal segment 22 to close the heater circuit; while upon turning said shaft to close the shutters, the brush is moved upon the non-conducting section 23 of the segment and the circuit is broken. At the same time, the metallic section 22 is of such length that the brush remains in engagement therewith in all positions of the shutters except when they are completely closed, thus permitting them to be opened more or less to regulate the amount of heat without cutting 05 the current supply. Owing to this simultaneous action of the switch and the shutters, it isimpossible for the motorman to turn off the register withelement', preferably a number of electric of current.

To facilitate access to the interior of the register-casing, it is preferably provided with a removable bottom or lower sectionv 13% which may be securedto the main portion thereof by bolts 26, orother fastenings. The provision of such a foot-warmer in the vestibule-floor or platform promotes the comfort of the motorman, insuring proper attention to his duties and maintaining his efliciency in severe winter weather as well as other seasons of the year, with the result that greater safety to the public is secured.

Aside from this important advantage, the railroad company is also benefited by reason of fewer accidents and a correspondingly smaller expenditure for claims for personal injuries. V

I claim as myinvention: I

The combination with a car-vestibule, of a foot-warmer for motormen located in the floor of the vestibule and having a top plate arranged flush with said floor.

V LEO 'LOESER. 7 

